Rehab at the Rainbow

Let me tell you about my new favorite place. It is situated half way between Vernon and Kelowna, on okanagen lake. The property has been in Allison's family since the early 1900's. It is called the Rainbow ranche and was located at the Rainbow landing where the paddlewheel would stop to drop off mail and ranch hands, to work the property, which at the time stretched out for 640 acres. I can't even imagine what this property would be worth today, as it is covered in orchards and million dollar houses.

When I first visited the property, it was hard for me to not think of it as some hippie hideout. The entrace is somewhat obscured, you have to drive between a peach orchard, and when you see the address it is painted on a little wooden sign and is covered with rainbow colours. You cross a creek and the road winds beside a small 1 acre orchard of Ambrosia apples, which are the hybrid dwarf type suspended on a wire trellis. The Ambrosia apple is no ordinary apple, it is described by locals as the "apple of the god's", originally cultivated by the Mennell family of Simiikameen Valley who continue to own the patent rights for cultivation.

If you continue to wind down the driveway towards the lake you drive past some traditional red delicious apple trees, and a dying transparent apple tree and a few obscure plum and apricot trees. These trees are living tombstones demarcating the present from the past as you are portalled into an early 20th century homestead. The original house is flanked on either side by larger gable facing additions. The house was built to house 6 children, although only 3 came to fruition. Roger is the current owner, and his oldest daughter Allison is where I am connected.

Roger is a "retired anthropologist" who has many iron's in the fire, one of which is running the ambrosia orchard.  And when I use the word retired, it is not true, as he spends hours in the early morning and late into the night consulting and researching ways of "sticking it to the man" and assisting first nations individuals and communities in self advocacy and economic development. Of course he could only do this work with a healthy mind and body. He sleeps in a tent by the lake and jumps in every morning to wake up, although he assures me that November first he is moving back into the house. He has also reintroduced me to the idea of the power of a high vegetable diet and meat in small portions (and mostly buffalo I would add) Getting back to the apples, they are currently being harvested by 4-6 pickers who have a unique connection to the Ranche. Roger was heading out to sell a trailer load of apples to some friends at 150 mile house, so I was placed in charge of running the orchard while he was absent. The self proclaimed title of orchard manager was entirely symbolic and fictious as I had less experience than even the rookie pickers who had started a week before.

The responsibility however allowed me to focus my attention and energy and at the end of the day gave me a sense of accomplishment as boxes were piled high in the two root cellars. While I recognize that my brain is pretty much useless at doing my previous crisis work, tapping into my farming roots and uncovering some of these hardworking routines was a Godsend. Apparently I also had a grin from ear to ear as I drove the tractor delivering empty bins, and taking full boxes down to the shop. We also had a little hair raising experience of loading 10 full bins into a flat deck trailer, with a tractor that only had a three point hitch and the ability to lift about 18 inches. It didn't have the power to to back up the ramps of the trailer, so I suggested we use the newly built access road for the barn.

During this time the footings were also being poured for the barn that is currently being built to process the apples. I think Roger may be the only one in the valley who has designed his barn to hold his 4000 books, that are currently being stored in a shipping container. I had the opportunity of sitting in on some of discussions and throwing in my 2 cents worth.

The last project that Roger was happy to delegate to me, was the official poop roof. The old septic tank's wooden covering had given up the ghost. The initial plan was to replace with treated lumber, however, I thought since there was cement being poured on the property we could create a proper cement cap. I happily dug out the old boards and formed up the new lid, all the while judging if people had eaten their daily required amount of ruffage. (who knew that I could put my book, "what your poop is telling you" to good use on this trip ...